SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Marking the feast day of the Black Nazarene, lawyer Mary Helen Zafra, one of the complainants in the plunder and graft cases against 1st District Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo S. Momo Sr., issued an open letter challenging him to meet the allegations head-on with repentance and accountability, warning that genuine Catholic devotion demands conscience, humility, and moral reckoning—not performative piety.
The letter posted on Zafra’s social media page, which calls him “Congtractor” (a satirical mash-up of congressman and contractor), circulated as Momo also released a separate clarification about an Anti-Money Laundering Council-flagged joint bank account with Construction Workers Solidarity Party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola, saying it was opened in 2019 for shared campaign expenses and has remained dormant since then, though it was never closed, amid reports of a freeze order linked to Gardiola’s bank accounts.
Zafra disputes what she describes as Momo’s repeated framing of himself as a victim of persecution or misunderstanding, arguing that the fallout stems from choices made “knowingly and deliberately.”
She further cites his public association with Catholic institutions and says devotion should not be treated as a shield from scrutiny, stressing that “genuine faith does not excuse wrongdoing; it demands conscience,” and calling for repentance as the Church marks the day of the Nazarene.
The open letter circulated as Manila observed a special non-working day to manage the expected influx of devotees for the annual Traslación and related activities in Quiapo, after Malacañang issued Proclamation No. 1126 declaring January 9, 2026 a special (non-working) day in the city for the feast.
The call for accountability also comes as Momo separately moved to address reports involving an AMLC-flagged joint bank account with CWS party-list Rep. Tirso Edwin Gardiola, after stories said the AMLC froze two Philippine Business Bank accounts where both lawmakers were listed as co-holders, in connection with a broader freeze involving accounts linked to Gardiola and contractor firms.
In his clarification, Momo said the joint account was opened in 2019 for shared campaign expenses when they were running as CWS party-list nominees, and emphasized that it has not been used since then—writing, “This has been dormant account since 2019 up to now,” while noting it was never closed.
The Ombudsman complaints against Momo, filed in December, stem from allegations involving about ₱1.4 billion in DPWH projects purportedly linked to a family-owned construction firm—claims the lawmaker has denied and described as politically motivated.
Momo was accused of continuing involvement in the operation of the Surigao La Suerte Corporation (SLSC), which repeatedly won public works contracts in the Caraga region, despite insisting having divested from the company, as members of his immediate family are still shareholders, creating a conflict of interest in the award of infrastructure projects.
The complaint said corporate records from the Securities and Exchange Commission showed that as of 2019, Momo and his relatives still held shares in SLSC. They alleged the lawmaker only divested after 2019 and that his wife, children and even a grandson continued to appear as stockholders despite the company’s sustained participation in government projects.
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